Top-support for talking-machine and other cabinets.



F. L. CAPPS.

TOP SUPPORT FOR TALKING MACHINE AND OTHER CABINETS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 31. 1.9]3.

Patented June 13, 1916.

- TED s V FRANK I. CAPPS, OF BRIDG-EPORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TOAMERICAN GRAPHO- TEN onnrcn.

PHONE COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF WESTVIRGINIA.

TOP-SUPPORT FOR TALKING-MACHINE AND OTHER CABINETS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 81, 1913. Serial No. 757,865.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANK L. CAPPs, a citizenof the United States, of Bridgeport, Connecticut, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Top Supports for Talking-Machine and otherCabinets, which invention is fully set forth in the followingspecification.

My invention relates to cabinets for talking machines and other devicesin which a hinged top is employed, and has for its object to provideefiicient and convenient means for supporting the top in its raised orelevated position to afford access to the interior of the machine, andfor readily lowering the top. As heretofore constructed, thetop-retaining means for such cabinets have beenof such character that,in the act of lowering the top, one hand had to be employed to supportthe top and the other means.

Afurther object, therefore, of the present invention is to provide meanswhereby the top-retaining means may be readily released, and the toplowered by the use of but one hand of the operator.

With this object in view, the invention consists, generally stated, in atoggle construction which, when the toggle is extended, operates to holdthe top elevated, combined with suitable means, such as, a pushrod, forbreaking the toggle, and permitting the lowering of the top, thepush-rod having a part projecting to the exterior of-the top, inposition to be actuated by the thumb of the same hand that grasps thetop for lowering it.

The inventive idea involved is capable of receiving a variety ofmechanical expressions, one of which, for the purpose of illustratingthe invention, is shownin the accom- I pose.

In said drawings- Figure 1 is a perspec-' tive view of a cabinet with myinvention applied thereto, with: the top elevated; Fig. 2 is a vertical'cross-section'ofa cabinet with the top closed, showing my retainingdevice in side elevation,- the dotted lines indicating the position ofthe parts with the top elevated; and Fig. '3 is a broken verticalsection through the cabinet to the rear of the top-retaining devicelooking toward the] front of the cabinet.

Referring to the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicatecorresponding parts, the cabinet is shown as composed of a bodyl havinga top 2, hinged thereto at 3. A toggle-link 4 is pivoted to the top 2,preferably by securing a bracket-arm 5 to the top and pivotingthe linkto said bracketarm at 6. A second toggle-link 7 is pivoted,

in any suitable manner, to the body of the cabinet at 8, the pivot-point6 being above, and the pivot-point 8 below, the line where thetop of thecabinet meets the body thereof. As clearly shown in the drawing, one

'of the links (in this case the link 4 connected to the top) has itsouter pivot ofl'setfrom the longitudinal axis of the link. The twotoggle-links 4 and 7 are pivoted together at 9, and on the end of thelink 4, prolonged beyond the pivot-point 9, is a stop 10 composed of apart projecting at right-angles to the plane of the links 4. and 7 sothat the stop will engage the link 7, in the act of raising the top 2,slightly, after the axis of the pivot 9 has passed a straight lineextending between the-pivots 6 and 8, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 in fulllines and Fig. 2 in dotted lines. Ofi'setting of the pivot 6 makes itpossible for the stop 10 to be so placed as to hold the links with theirlongitudinal. axes forming one straight line as clearly shown in Fig. 2.This construction enables the links to make a much better appearancethan they would if positioned at an angler-to each other. With theconstruction shown and described, the weight of the top acts to hold thetoggle-open, and to force the pivot 9 to theleft, as shown in Fig. 2,andto lower the top, it will be evident that it is necessary to break thetoggle to the right by forcing the pivot-pin 9 to the right of the linebetween the pivots 6 and 8.- For accomplishing this purpose, 'I provideany suitable means whereby the operator may impart the proper thrustupon the toggle.

As here shown, such means assume the form of a push-rod 11, pivotallyattachedto the toggle 4 at'a point 12, located in the. enlarged end 13of the link 4. This enlargement 1'3 ofthe end of the link 4constitutesan oifset to the Patented June 13, 1916. I

general form of the link, and in effect makes of the link 4 a bell-cranklever, one of whose arms extends between the pivots 6 and 9,

and the other between the pivots 6 and 12,

the latter of which is the short arm .of the bell-crank lever. A verysmall movement of this short arm at the point 12 will beconverted intoa'much more extensive movement of the long arm at, the point 9, thepivot between the two toggle-links. The pivot 12 is so located that whenthe toggle is broken, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the axis of therod 11 approximately intersects the axis of the pivot 6. In effect, uponinturned flange or other abutment 15, and

a spring 16 reacts between said abutment and a button'17 onthe end ofthe rod, which button is of a diameter to permit it to-slide freelywithin the-sleeve. The proportions of the parts are such that when thetop is in lowered position, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, the button17 lies flush with the outer end of the sleeve 14, but when the partsarein elevated position, as shown in Fig. 1, the button 17 protrudesfrom the sleeve 14. This is due to the fact that the pivot-point 12,whereby the rod 11 is connected to the link 4, is moved to the rear inthe act of lowering the top.

The result of this construction is (the top being elevated) that, whenthe thumb of the operator is applied to the button 17, and the point :12forced rearward by thethrust on the rod 11, the link 4, and with it thepivot-point 9, is moved to the rear of a straight line connectingthepivot-points 6 and 8 of the toggle, thereby breaking the toggle, andpermitting it to be closed and the-top to be lowered, as clearly shownin full lines in Fig. 2.

It will be apparent that, by this construction, the opening movement ofthe top is limited; the weight of the top serves to hold the retainingdevice in position to keep the top elevated; and that the operator mayseize the top when elevated with his left hand, and by pressing upon thebutton 17 with the thumb thereof, break the toggle and readily lower thetop. Furthermore, the. parts of the device are efiiciently concealed, sothat they do not mar the appearance of the cabinet as a whole.

Various modifications may be made in the proportions and arrangement ofthe parts, without departing from the spirit of the invention defined inthe accompanying claims.

What is claimed is 1. In a cabinet, the combination of a body and a tophinged thereto, with a. toggle for retaining the top elevated, the saidtoggle being entirely within the cabinet when the cabinet is closed, anda push-rod positioned in the cabinet and carried by the top and engagingthe toggle, whereby the latter may be broken to permit the top to belowered.

2. In a cabinet, the combination of a body, a top hinged thereto at oneedge and provided with side and end walls and a top wall, a toggle forretaining the top elevated, the said .toggle being entirely within thecabinet when the cabinet is closed, and a push rod mounted within thesaid top and engaging the toggle to cause it to be broken. 3. In acabinet, the combination of a body, a top hinged thereto at one edge andprovided with side and end walls and a top wall, a toggle for retainingthe top elevated, the said toggle being entirely within the cabinet whenthe cabinet is closed, a push button carried by the top at a pointremote from the hinged edge, and a push rod mounted within the said topand extending from the push button to the toggle to cause the latter tobe broken.

4. In a cabinet, the combination of a body and a top hinged thereto,with a toggle for retaining the top elevated, the said toggle beingentirely within the cabinet when the cabinet is-closed, one of thetoggle links being pivotally' connected to the body and one to the top,a stop limiting themovement of the toggle on one side of its fully openline, and a push-rod carried by the top and engaging the toggle andoperable to break it to permit the top to be lowered 5. In a cabinet,thecombination of a body and a top hinged thereto, with 'a toggle havingone link pivoted to thefbody and one to the top, a push-rod pivoted toone of the toggle links near its pivot-point, and a spring associatedwith said push-rod for yieldingly holding said toggle in open orextended position.

6. In a cabinet, the combination of a body and a top hinged thereto,with a toggle retaining the top elevated, said toggle being locatedwithin the. cabinet, a push-rod engaging the toggle and operable tobreak the toggle to lower the top, said rod being within the cabinet buthaving a part projecting out through the wall thereof, and a springengaging the push-rod and thereby acting to yieldingly hold said togglein open or extended position.

' 7. In a cabinet, the combination of a cabinet body, atop hinged to thebody along one edge, two toggle links pivoted together and having theirouter ends pivoted respectively to the top and to the body, one of theend pivots being at one side of the longitudinal axis of thecorresponding link and the other pivots being in the longitudinal axis,means for limiting the relative movements of the two links with the saidlongitudinal axes forming one straight line, a push rod carried by thetop for moving the links out of the straight line position, and a springfor automatically moving the links into the straight line position.

8. In a cabinet, the combination of a cabinet body, a top hinged to thebody along one edge, two toggle links pivoted together and having theirouter ends pivoted respectively to the top and to the body, and a pushrod pivoted at one end to one of the links near its outer pivot, theaxis of the push rod approximately intersecting the' axis of the saidouter pivot when the toggle is broken.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

FRANK L.v OAPPsQ Witnesses M. E. LY E, J. S. GRIFFITH.

